Heat preseason includes exhibition vs. LeBron, Cavs in Rio

Ira WindermanSouth Florida Sun Sentinel

The Miami Heat will face a familiar face before playing for real this coming season, with the preseason schedule released Tuesday featuring the previously announced Oct. 11 exhibition against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Rio de Janeiro.

That game was announced April 10, before LeBron James' free-agent move to the Cavaliers. The game also will feature Cleveland center Anderson Varejao, a native of Sana Teresa, Brazil.

The Heat also will return to the scene of last season's NBA Finals demise, when they play the San Antonio Spurs in an Oct. 18 exhibition at the AT&T Center, where their two-year NBA championship run came to an end on June 15, James' final game in a Heat uniform.

In addition to the Global Games appearance in Rio against the Cavaliers, the Heat also will play in Louisville on Oct. 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans, in Kansas City on Oct. 17 vs. the Golden State Warriors and in Memphis on Oct. 24 against the Grizzlies.

The game in Louisville will be the Heat's exhibition opener and is expected to be the Heat debut of offseason free-agent acquisitions Josh McRoberts, the forward formerly of the Charlotte Hornets; Luol Deng, the former formerly of the Cavaliers; and Danny Granger, the forward formerly of the Los Angeles Clippers; as well as the Heat debuts of draft picks Shabazz Napier and James Ennis.

The NBA regular-season schedule is expected to be released in mid-August.

Tickets for the Heat's home exhibitions go on sale starting Wednesday at 10 a.m. Tickets for the exhibitions start at $10.